Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is an effective approach of in vitro regeneration that depends on plant cell totipotency. However, largely unknown of molecular mechanisms of SE in woody plants such as Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Blume), limits the development of the woody plant industry. Here, we report the MADS-box transcription factor CmAGL11 in Chinese chestnut. CmAGL11 transcripts specifically accumulated in the globular embryo. Overexpression of CmAGL11 in chestnut callus enhanced its SE capacity, and the development of somatic embryos occurred significantly faster than in the control. RNA-seq results showed that CmAGL11 affects the expression of several genes related to the gibberellin, auxin, and ethylene pathways. Moreover, the analysis of DNA methylation status indicated that the promoter methylation plays a role in regulation of CmAGL11 expression during SE. Our results demonstrated that CmAGL11 plays an important role in the SE process in Chinese chestnut, possibly by regulating gibberellin, auxin, and ethylene pathways. It will help establish an efficient platform to accelerate genetic improvement and germplasm innovation in Chinese chestnut.

    Kernel color is an important trait for assessing the commercial and nutritional quality of foxtail millet.  Yellow pigment content (YPC) and carotenoid components (lutein and zeaxanthin) of 270 foxtail millet accessions, including 50 landraces and 220 improved cultivars, from four different eco-regions in China were surveyed using spectrophotometry and high performance liquid chromatography methods.  Results indicated that YPC had rich variance, ranging from 1.91 to 28.54 mg kg^–1, with an average value of 17.80 mg kg^–1.  The average YPC of improved cultivars (18.31 mg kg^–1) was significantly higher than that of landraces (15.51 mg kg^–1).  The YPC in cultivars from the Loess Plateau spring sowing region (LPSSR) was the highest (20.59 mg kg^–1), followed by the North China summer sowing region (NCSSR, 18.25 mg kg^–1), the northeast spring sowing region (NSSR, 17.25 mg kg^–1), and the Inner Mongolia Plateau spring sowing region (IMPSSR, 13.92 mg kg^–1).  The variation coefficients of YPC in cultivars from NSSR, LPSSR, and IMPSSR were higher than that from NCSSR.  A similar carotenoid profile was also obtained for 270 foxtail millet cultivars.  Lutein and zeaxanthin accounted for approximately 55–65% of YPC in accessions.  The lutein content was higher than zeaxanthin content in all cultivars.  The ratio of lutein to zeaxanthin ranged from 1.51 to 6.06 with an average of 3.34.  YPC was positively correlated with lutein (r=0.935, P<0.01), zeaxanthin (r=0.808, P<0.01), and growth duration (r=0.488, P<0.01), whereas it was negatively correlated with grain protein (r=−0.332, P<0.01) and 1 000-kernel weight (r=−0.153, P<0.05).  Our study is useful for screening and selecting cultivars with high levels of yellow pigment and for enhancing phytochemical concentrations in breeding programs.